“I don’t think so,” she said, glancing over her shoulder theatrically. “It’s been a couple of days since I ran into the little terror. Been camping out here ever since.” She turned her attention back to the horizon herself, enjoying the way the light hit the water. “I like the ocean, too,” she added, almost as an afterthought. And that…that was the first completely true thing she’d said to him. She did like the ocean. She liked the openness and the sense of freedom. She liked the smell of salt. Though the water itself burned ever so slightly to the touch because of what she was, she still enjoyed it. It was too diluted to do any real damage and, besides, a little bit of pain made some things sweeter.
Meg listened carefully as he spoke, logging the information away in case she needed it. She hadn’t missed the fact that he needed an extra drink to deal with the subject at hand. That meant it was a weak spot.
“She? Someone special I take it?” She didn’t ask it teasingly. She injected a note of concern into her voice and leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees so she could turn and look at him a little bit easier. “And being stuck here means you can’t help her?”